Ruling party official criticises President’s “damaging” statement on Chinese leader
Mdinaradze’s comment came following the remark by Zourabichvili, who told France’s LCI channel the prospect of the leaders of Russia and China facing court would “clarify certain matters”. Photo: Georgian Dream Press Office
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Mamuka Mdinaradze, the Executive Secretary of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Monday criticised “damaging” statements by the Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili, who on Saturday said seeing the Chinese leader put on trial would be a “historic outcome”.
Mdinaradze’s comment came following the remark by Zourabichvili, who told France’s LCI channel the prospect of the leaders of Russia and China facing court would “clarify certain matters”.
“It is unfortunate that we have to apologise to our friends [and] partners for Salome Zourabichvili’s statements. Today, we are apologising, because she made such a damaging statement for the relations between [Georgia and China]”, Mdinaradze said.
Salome Zourabichvili is no longer the President, we do not call her President anymore - because she no longer has legitimacy from our side - so we mention her not as President, but simply as Salome Zourabichvili”, the party official said in reference to the decision by the country’s Constitutional Court which in October ruled the President had violated the law with her foreign visits in defiance of the Government.
Mdinaradze also called Zourabichvili an “opposition politician who perfectly fit into this niche, and in some cases has even surpassed [domestic ‘radical’ opposition] with her degree of radicalism, actions and speech”.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Monday told Zhou Qian, the Chinese Ambassador to Georgia, that comments by Zourabichvili were “categorically unacceptable and disturbing”.
Shalva Papuashvili, the Georgian Parliament Speaker, on Monday said comments by the Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili, who on Saturday said seeing the Chinese leader put on trial would be a “historic outcome”, were “damaging”, “ignored citizen’s interests” and “created embarrassment”.
Georgian Education Minister Giorgi Amilakhvari on Monday said comments by the Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili, who on Saturday said seeing the Chinese leader put on trial would be a “historic outcome”, were “categorically unacceptable”.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Monday told Zhou Qian, the Chinese Ambassador to Georgia, that comments by the Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili, who on Saturday said seeing the Russian and Chinese leaders put on trial would be a “historic outcome”, were “categorically unacceptable and disturbing”.
Georgian Economy Minister Levan Davitashvili on Monday said his country’s relations with China had entered a “new phase of cooperation” through the establishment of a strategic partnership between them.
Irakli Kobakhidze, the Chair of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Tuesday claimed President Salome Zourabichvili was “trying to somehow damage the country’s interests” after the latter on Saturday said in an interview seeing the Chinese leader put on trial would be a “historic outcome”.
Mamuka Mdinaradze, the Executive Secretary of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Friday rebuked a remark by President Salome Zourabichvili, who on Thursday called Bidzina Ivanishvili, the former Prime Minister and founder of the ruling Georgian Dream party the “only oligarch” in the domestic politics.